Sharing space during self-isolation
We are now in our second week of lockdown in the UK, and everybody is still adjusting to the ‘new normal’. Because schools and many workplaces are now closed, a major part of life in lockdown is learning how to share space with the other people in your house, for longer than you would on a typical day. This can be tricky at the best of times, let alone at a time of major disruption and uncertainty, so we have some advice to help you and your family through. Here are our 5 top tips for sharing space during self-isolation.
1. Divide up your home
It’s hard to work if you’re surrounded by breakfast dishes, and it’s hard to relax if you’re staring at a pile of schoolbooks, so the first thing to do is create dedicated spaces within your home for school, work and leisure. Ideally, each of these will be in a different room, but if you don’t have the space for this, that’s OK. The important thing is that everybody knows what happens where, so that all the parts of your life don’t merge into one overwhelming mess.
2. Give everyone a quiet space
It’s a good idea to give everyone a place to escape to if things get too much. This is easy enough if everybody has their own room, but for those who share, you could find a spare corner that’s just for them, or agree a time when they can have the room to themselves for an hour or two. The main thing is to respect each other’s privacy as much as possible and give everyone a chance to be alone if they want to.
3. Go outside
We may be in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go outside. People with gardens can easily make the most of the warmer weather, and everyone should try to get outdoors for a walk, run or bike ride once a day if they can. Blow the cobwebs away with a nice family stroll, or get some breathing space by going out for a walk on your own.
4. Arrange fun events
One way to keep work and leisure separate when they’re both happening under the same roof is to schedule in some fun events for evenings and weekends. All sorts of creative online alternatives are springing up, from exercise classes to pub quizzes, or you can arrange exciting activities in your own home, like turning your living room into a cinema or your kitchen into an artist’s studio. Whatever you choose to do, the main thing is to have something to look forward to and to give structure to your day.
5. Enjoy this quality time
Self-isolating with other people certainly has its challenges, but it can be good fun too. As long as you can all communicate how you’re feeling and be aware that everybody is probably a bit more tense than usual, then you can see this time for what it is – an opportunity to spend more time with the people you love.
If you need extra support for your business during this tricky time, please give Get Ahead VA a call on 01483 332220 or email us at office@getaheadva.com. Our team of virtual assistants is happy to help with whatever business and marketing services you need. In the meantime, we hope you and your loved ones stay safe and well.
